Uzere
| Uzere | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): "Uzei aka", "City of oil" | |
| Motto: "Peace and Unity" | |
 Uzere
|
|
| Coordinates: 5°12′N 6°10′E / 5.200°N 6.167°E | |
| Country |
 Nigeria
|
| State | Delta State |
| LGA | Isoko South |
| Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) (UTC+1) |
Coordinates: 5°12′N 6°10′E / 5.200°N 6.167°E
Uzere formerly known as "Uzei" is located in the Isoko South Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State of Nigeria. It has become one of the largest petroleum oil producing communities in Nigeria. Oil exploration started in Uzere in 1957. Uzere has two oil fields(Uzere West and Uzere East) with a total of 43 oil wells producing about 53,000 barrels per day (8,400 m3/d). Uzere has nine communities: Uhei, Ezede, Uweye, Afikioko (London Base), Uhroko (Paris), Ekregbesi, Abale, Iwre-Ezede, and Iboro.
Monarchy: Ovie (king) who doubles as the chief priest of the Eni deity..
While some people believed that the Uzere people originated from the Benin kingdom, others disagree. Obaro Ikime, professor of history at the University of Ibadan, states "If there is any aspect of the history of the various peoples of Nigeria about which no one can speak with any exactitude, it is that which deals with the origins of our peoples". The belief that most of the Isoko groups (of which Uzere is a part) are of Benin origin were views held and expressed in the 1960s and 1970s. These views were "decidedly simplistic and were based on British Intelligence Reports of the 1930s" and Ikime's field work of 1961-1963.
But these views or historical accounts, albeit oral, make interesting reading. For instance some people have posited that Uzere originated from the Benin kingdom in the year 1393 during the reign of a Benin Monarch named Oba Ehengbuda. They came from Benin under the leadership of a man named Uzei which gave rise to the name UZERE. Uzei had three surviving sons namely, UHERI, EZEDE AND UWEYE.
This account holds that when they left the Benin kingdom, they first settled at Isele-Uku. After a while they migrated to the River Niger bank at Asaba. From Asaba, they migrated further to Eboh in Ndokwa. From Eboh they built their own settlement which they called Eruke. After they built Eruke, the account goes, one of the sons, Okugbo, wanted to return to the Benin kingdom to buy 'kingship' rights from the Oba of Benin so that he could be crowned king of his people.
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Wikipedia